Andrea Campbell with Ziggy, photo courtesy of Ms. Campbell and used with her permission.
In August of this year, I attended a writing seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, where I mingled with many fabulous authors, but one woman in particular stood out. Her name was Andrea Campbell, and, among other things, she’d written a book called Bringing Up Ziggy: What Raising a Helping Hands Monkey Taught Me About Love, Commitment, and Sacrifice. Her book recounts her experiences foster parenting Ziggy, a capuchin monkey, who ultimately was destined to live elsewhere. (With a quadriplegic who needed her.)
I recently contacted Ms. Campbell and asked if she’d be interested in being interviewed. To my delight, she said, “Yes!”
If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to live with a monkey, read on. Ms. Campbell’s revelations are at all times sincere, often humorous, and sometimes unexpectedly cautionary.
In this first installment of the three-part series, I talk with Ms. Campbell about her time as a foster monkey-mom:
Courtney Mroch: Why Helping Hands? What led you to them?
Andrea Campbell: Courtney, thank you for your interest.
The Helping Hands connection came as the result of an article I did for a magazine called Career World. I wrote profiles about jobs and interesting people and when I saw that a woman, M. J. Williard, started a nonprofit organization using monkeys, I asked if she would tell me how she did that. (They train capuchin monkeys to act as helper/companions for quadriplegics, people that cannot use their arms or legs, mostly as the result of an accident.) Through the research and interview process, my curiosity about what it would be like to be a “foster” mom for a monkey became so great that I found myself putting in an application. Eight months later my husband and I picked up a five-week old cap baby! She fit into the palm of my hand and weighed just 11 oz.
CM: Did you have special monkey-raising skills pre-Ziggy? (i.e. Were you already acquainted or trained with primate care? Or did you learn it as you went?)
AC: Ha! It was strictly a seat-of-the-pants education. I’d never been closer to a monkey than 40-feet away at the zoo. And we definitely were not ready for what was ahead. It’s different today, I think, there are a lot more references and information about primates, even on the Internet.
CM: Did you have to take any classes or receive special training prior to getting Ziggy? While you had Ziggy?
AC: Helping Hands sent us a small foster family guidebook, but it was very basic. In fact, one of the first paragraphs talked about the differences between monkeys—just as there are with people; that they are individuals with singular behavior—and we had nothing to compare it with so I just read academic books and used my instincts.
(I should note that I also followed Ziggy’s progress by using the Dr. Spock Baby and Childcare book because these monkeys are primates, and, as we found out, very much like infants and children.) I cannot recommend that today. The commitment is too intense. You must be aware of what you are getting into with monkey care.
CM: How did your family (both immediate and otherwise) react/respond when you said you’d be raising a monkey?
AC: This was a pretty funny event for me. My husband, Michael, and I, had previously been area reps for a foreign exchange service: Educational Foundation for Foreign Study. In our six years with them, we placed over 36 students in the Benton, Malvern, and Hot Springs area. (I had two other folks working with me.)
We had also hosted two young women, Jopie from Holland, and Ana from the Canary Islands, Spain, who lived with us and went to school here. Since I was surrounded by men—a husband and two young sons, Courtney aged 11, and Jordan aged 9—it was my way of balancing the ying-yang in the house. Plus, every other weekend for those six years, we had a different country represented in our home with an overnight. And there were lots of foreign exchange parties.
So, when I asked the kids how they felt about being a foster family, Courtney wanted to know what country they were from! When I told them it would be for a monkey, there was a resounding cheer.
CM: What are the main lessons you took away from being a foster parent to Ziggy?
AC: Omigosh, there are so many. I learned a lot about commitment to something; and sacrifice for a larger purpose. I also learned that I need to take risks for happiness, to follow my passion and curiosity. (I guess some endnotes to these comments are necessary.)
The commitment: Taking in a monkey is a full-time job. We gave up having precious small objects of desire, no knickknacks or other collections (that wasn’t really our bag, any way). But we also gave up vacations and serious entertaining. Who would babysit? Can’t travel with monks, and your friends had better understand some things about the evening’s entertainment. The kids also made sacrifices, like not being the center of attention anymore, and what “sibling rivalry” actually means to a monkey (yes, they both got bit). That was a hard lesson for them.
The passion part is my adrenalin fix. I find I need to be engaged in life stories and happenings to be happy; I’m a do-er. I’d run the “Amazing Race” if I could figure out how to get on the TV show and who to take.
CM: Have you considered fostering again?
AC: Yes and no. My mother lives with us now and she is getting up in age—she’s almost 91. Anna is no problem at all, she listens to talking books every minute, but I wouldn’t subject her to the unusual lifestyle required with keeping a monkey at her advanced age.
Her presence changed the chemistry of the house and that is why Ziggy went into HH for training. Ziggy has been placed too! She is with a man named John, 38, who lives in extreme pain everyday because of some adult onset illness. I’ve gotten photos of them and I know now that they are truly bonded. Zig looks very happy sleeping on John’s shoulders. They are very close. And it warms my heart to know that she is doing a service she loves, and that she adds so much value to someone’s life. My family couldn’t have given a better gift than that to anyone. The hairs on my arms raise when I think about it.
Michael and I do have it in our minds to, one day, open up a nonprofit sanctuary just for capuchin monkeys that have been abused, displaced or whatever. Since we know the species and love them, we feel we could make a good home for the wayward ones. The costs are prohibitive however. I’d have to have a bestseller for sure. (Buy my books.)
CM: What does someone have to do if they’d be interested in doing what you did?
AC: The best way is by studying the Helping Hands web site.
It really is an exceptional program and I can’t say enough about the people and the cause. I have a dear friend who is one of the primary founders, Judy Zazula.
Also, I went to the Boston headquarters to meet everyone and observe the training for the last chapter in my book. It was a positive and moving experience.
In Part Two, Ms. Campbell shares her thoughts on monkeys in the household.